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Cuatro Viejos and Hooliah too...

Will someone get us to Aramberi ?
Ok, I will.
.

John and RG explained their 2 hr disappearance with an unlikely story about the KLR falling off the road and down the hill.

I think RG needs to do a little splanin' here.... :trust:

I visited the house I spent the night in back some 5 years ago. Here's the Link to that story

Here's a video of Milton reconnecting with the family that helped him out some five years back. The neighbors were having a heck of a good time:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scH1BTvBZiY&list=UUhsiAJH_rMQJf4SXPWoyYpA&index=6"]Mexico 2012 Milton Visiting Friends - YouTube[/ame]
 
El Dia Quatro (you know…4)

Day four: A hefty snort and jolly good chuckle with ancient spirits of the Sierra Madre.

Galeana... It’s just right.” Kinda sounds like something the local chamber could have printed on milk cartons. Folks there take pride in their community. Some older blokes were out pretty early sweeping the square. I asked one gentleman if this was their job. “Oh yes! Every morning at 7:30 we come to clean.” Seemed like more than just a job to him.


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Ommar…cool little kid and a great story by StingRay. Just when you think it’s all about the riding… :mrgreen:

I went over to their church to get a picture. They were holding services and the place was packed. A small family waited just outside open doors…so I joined them. Sounded like the priest was up there saying something about how he could beat anybody in a game of dominoes. :rofl:After a quick word of thanks to the Almighty it was time to hit the trail.


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Still a wee bit cool out there knocking holes in the wind that morning, but not for long. Now, you’ll notice I don’t have many pictures to share for this day and there’s a good reason. This was a rip running kick *** motorcycle riding day…and that’s hard to mix with stopping for picts. Especially for the weak and undisciplined. :oops: Much thanks to the crew for helping out with their awesome picts and vids to bring it all together. :thumb:


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See, we got to this canyon…and it was a little rough…high walls…loose gravel…:drool: lots of big rocks…stream running down the middle :drool: over-hanging moss covered trees, jumps and ledges :drool: with nothing more than an occasional faint cattle trail suggesting where to lay down some tracks. :drool: Are you feeling me here folks? This thing bordered on wildly erotic fantasy and we just won’t slaughter any more innocent pixels trying to describe it. :-D


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OK…we stopped at the entrance…like for a freakin eternity. :loco: Moments ticking away…irretrievably wasted into the dark blackness of the cosmos. :headbang: I could take no more…it would be a harsh slap against nature and all benevolent aspects of the universe to arrogantly ignore this any longer. :storm: There’s this telepathy thing that sometimes happens. I look at JT and he nods his head…hardly noticeable...really subtly. :dude: I’m gone Bubba! Me and this bike gotta dance. Adios! :dude:


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I won’t even try to describe it. Let’s just say when I finally stopped it should have been to lay back and smoke a cigarette. :trust:

:rider: :rider: :rider: :rider: :rider: :rider: :rider: :rider: :rider: :rider:

Cool little shrine out here in the belly button of nowhere.


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StingRay playing a 690 like a fine instrument...while keeping his toes dry, of course.


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Meeltone cruising along grinning from ear to ear…


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Have you ever just wanted to turn around, run it from the other direction and then do it all over again? :rider:

Yep…me too.

We made it on down the trail…into some remoteness again.


Eventually seeing signs of humanity...or some remarkably talented livestock.


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Looks like some folks are gathering up building materials…pretty sure you don’t just call up the local lumber yard for this adobe stuff in this part of the world.


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We made it into a little pueblo…Sunday afternoon…Life’s moving slow and timid like the green stained waters of an east Texas bayou…and just as colorful.


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We may as well have dropped out of the sky among these folks. Guarded curiosity works in both directions.


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Later, the road to Arambari.


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Past Milpillas, past Caballada, on the way to Aramberi, the back way
The big mountain in back, I figure is Pena Nevada


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Well of course he did, Chuck.
He didn't have any cokes at his house though, but he led us to the coolest little beer garden you can imagine.
I was trying to convince the guys to let him put us up in one of his cabanas.

Do you remember this?
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Sure do -- ALOT of fun!!! Wish I got a pic of your face when you asked that guy for directions for the forth time and he kept saying arroyo-- then you turned to me and asked "what is an arroyo" like I could change the meaning. :rofl: It was an excellent ride :rider:
 
Chuck, that's what it was!
Sangria, Lime and Tequila. Sounds like a good title for a country song eh? We did eat dinner at the General while in Galeana but didn't have any of the tripple shots although I did tell the story :mrgreen:

They have since taken down the sombrereos so there will never be another one of these: (pict from 2009 Mextrek)

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Good times that I'll never forget
 
We made it into a little pueblo…Sunday afternoon…Life’s moving slow and timid like the green stained waters of an east Texas bayou…and just as colorful.

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We may as well have dropped out of the sky among these folks. Guarded curiosity works in both directions.

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Very kool, Gregory
 
Wish I got a pic of your face when you asked that guy for directions for the forth time and he kept saying arroyo-- then you turned to me and asked "what is an arroyo" like I could change the meaning. :rofl:
:lol2: He would never use the word "road". He always called it arroyo. I just didn't get it. .: :rider: :lol2:
I kept asking, the road is IN the arroyo?
And he'd answer, the road IS the arroyo.
 
Mayo has been a source of local information for years.
His father (the dentist) smiles from the bench.
I'm guessing the girl must be Mayo's daughter. I think he introduced me.
Aramberi, NL
Scott's photo

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Work truck
Aramberi, NL

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John and RG explained their 2 hr disappearance with an unlikely story about the KLR falling off the road and down the hill.
I think RG needs to do a little splanin' here.... :trust:
Hey, what happened here, anyway?
 
John and RG explained their 2 hr disappearance with an unlikely story about the KLR falling off the road and down the hill.

Hey, what happened here, anyway?

Lucy; jus' gimme me 5 minutes to 'splain!! :lol2:
I bet he was hunting hogs......near a bridge or something...;-)
 
John and RG explained their 2 hr disappearance with an unlikely story about the KLR falling off the road and down the hill.

Hey, what happened here, anyway?

Well, since Greg's not here to answer, I will. He pulled up to the clearing where the 3 main roads came together along with all the side trails of the little community and stopped. I came up behind him and after we sat a few minutes he asked if we were going straight ahead. I said I think so and he took off. He was gone by the time I realized I was wrong, but he didn't have his radio on. I tried to chase him down, but he had a few minutes head start. He had stopped about 3 miles up the road and parked on the shoulder. The bike was leaning a little too upright and I don't know if the wind got it or what, but it fell over to the right into the ditch right before I pulled up. I helped him pick it up and get it moving out of the ditch, we geared up and started back to the
corner. About halfway back, Scott and I talked on the radios and he said he and Milton would continue down the road. Greg and I had gone all of 3 miles the wrong way, it took a total of 29 minutes, not 2 hours, 8 minutes of which was getting the bike up and turned around.

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Greg and I had gone all of 3 miles the wrong way, it took a total of 29 minutes, not 2 hours, 8 minutes of which was getting the bike up and turned around.

You buyin' that, Scott? 29 minutes ? :whatever:
 
El Dia Quatro (you know…4)

Day four: A hefty snort and jolly good chuckle with ancient spirits of the Sierra Madre.

Galeana... It’s just right.” Kinda sounds like something the local chamber could have printed on milk cartons. Folks there take pride in their community. Some older blokes were out pretty early sweeping the square. I asked one gentleman if this was their job. “Oh yes! Every morning at 7:30 we come to clean.” Seemed like more than just a job to him.

I agree. I was always impressed at how much pride they took ensuring the square was spotless.

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Always good eatin' here!!

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El Dia Cuatro - Mas (you know…4 +)


Day four: A hefty snort and jolly good chuckle with ancient spirits of the Sierra Madre.


Let’s see…ahh yes, the canyon run. Good stuff by any measure.

Truth in advertising clause
: Loaded KLR, a looong way from any kind of medical help ( not counting the local curandero with his/her leaches, chants, snakes and potions ), no reasonable means of extraction and maps that are mostly an approximation...

Kinda gives further consideration for that minor little insurance clause dealing with eventual “repatriation of mortal remains.”

So, just how enthusiastically do we want to romp and stomp through this thing? :deal:



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We made it past the super cool canyon ( arroyo ) and back onto a dirt road. They use some type of rock for roads and the dust from this stuff hangs in the air like a mist. It’ll infiltrate the slightest opening in your equipment. I was missing a ¼” vent screw on one saddlebag and the thing was loaded with dust after the day. :rant:



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All of us are dust phobic so when terrain allows we stretch out from each other and hope a breeze or earth’s rotation will move some of it out of the way. This road was bad and the hills and trees just weren’t letting any breeze move around.

I pulled up to JT at an intersection and checked the track on my GPS. I told him that I’d buzz on up the road and put some distance between us. And buzz I did. :pirate:

After what seemed like a pretty good run, I came around a curve in the road to find an old Ford truck parked in the middle. :shock: OK…just another day in Mexico. Then, I saw an older lady on the far side of an arroyo tending to a little shrine – the things are all over. Looked like a good place to stop and let the others catch up. And besides, I wanted to respectfully ask the lady about all these silly shrines.



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On seeing me, the lady quickly finished her prayers and made a beeline for the truck. Guess the Darth Vader on a bike look hasn’t caught on around there yet. Go figure... :shrug: Anyway, I went over to check out the shrine after they’d left.



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Seemed like it was taking an awful long time for the crew to come along so I went over to a shady ledge beside the road and set down to enjoy a few crackers ( *lunch* ) while waiting. It was such a tranquil spot. I took a quick snap of the noble steed and that shrine in the background just to commemorate the occasion.



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As per proper TWT training, I’d parked the KLR as far to side of the road as possible. :patriot:

Just after I took this pict and finished another yummy cracker, I finally heard a bike far in the distance…faint at first but slowly growing louder. Friends on the way…all was well. :zen:

Just sitting there on that ledge, chomping away on those crackers, admiring the image of my bike and the background…when suddenly and ever so slowly, the bike starts to lean toward the arroyo. :eek2: The visual was all in ultraslow motion. It leans farther…I’m 20 yards away sitting on my…it gradually gains momentum and finally crashes with a loud crunch and an impressive cloud of dust…into the arroyo. :brainsnap

I’m still sitting there slowly processing what my eyes are sending. This makes no sense! I’ve been here a good five minutes plus, there is no breeze…we'll assume gravity is still being its usual persistent menace…and I can’t see my bike anymore!!! :shock: System overload…ctrl + alt + del. :twitch:

I’m still rebooting when I hear faint snickering and chuckles coming from the direction of that silly shrine. Hmmm... About the time I’m ready to hit the reset switch, JT comes zipping around the curve and sees my bike…or what’s left of it. :eek:

See, we’d been getting a lot of radio noise coming through the canyon and I’d turned mine off to see if it was the one causing the commotion. He’d been calling, I’d been missing - and now – here’s my bike lying in a ditch with its tires pointed skyward…and I’m nowhere to be seen…sobbing in the shadows. :tears:

You can appreciate his concern... :haha: :hack:

Which, in this instance, was for a bottle of Cabrito tequila I was carrying in the saddlebag that hit the ground. :argh:

OK…ok…to be fair, we were both deeply concerned as to its safety and well being. :pray:

We managed to right the bike and get her back up on the road. This would NEVER have happened without JT’s help. :hail: My helmet - on the handlebar -took most of the abuse and the bike had earned a few more battle scars but was good to go. Hey, it’s a KLR...what can you break that would really show?

Oh, and the Cabrito? :cool2: :bigokay:


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And that’s…the rest of the story! :dude:


:) Doncha just love a happy ending? :)


Next, step back in time along the trail to Dr Arroyo.
 
:tab RG, I think your camera slightly over exposes the images. I don't know which camera you are using, but most have a setting where you can set an exposure compensation (higher or lower) that will then apply to all shots. I would suggest setting yours 1/3 stop down, maybe 2/3 at most. This is what I have to do for my little Canon SD00. The images won't be as washed out and the colors will be more saturated. You just have to experiment with the setting in the camera to get what you like. Once set, forget it and shoot away.

:tab Awesome report and pics (even RG's :-P). It sure makes me want to get down their and explore!
 
We settle on staying in Aramberi.
Check into the Maria Luisa Hotel.
We ride our bikes around the back into the inner courtyard, with motel style rooms alongside a defunct swimming pool.
This must have been a sweet spot some years ago. Now it is only marginally functional. A ghost of itself. A big new hotel right next door.

Aramberi is a fairly swell place, but nothing quite beats the ambience of Galeana.
We explore the plaza and eventually take up the search for food.

Feria time in Aramberi.
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Yep, Scott's photo.

I know there are some acceptable restaurants in town, but for the moment I can’t find them. Scott and I are hankering for a good burger and try a joint advertizing such. RG and John opt for more Mexican traditional tacos.

The burger joint is more or less an expanded private home on the street corner. Its living room serving as something like a fast food restaurant. The teenage daughters had to run out and find buns, but in the end the burgers were surprisingly delicious. Scott ate two.

Now that's a good burger
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Another Scott photo.

That night I had a craving for fruit juice or something or the other and set out in search, but the town was locked down tight. Upon arriving JT had had a legitimate concern about the booming noise/music emanating from some of the street vendors’ stereo systems. When I expressed our concern to the hotel owner, a local dentist, he assured me that when night fell, and the cold set in, all the vendors would close up and there would be no more noise. I had to chuckle because here it was 10:30 pm and there is a full fledged teenage party just getting cranked up right in the restaurant of our very hotel. Complete with booming music and occasional squeals.

No complaints from our crew however. I think everyone slept well.

Hotel Maria Luisa, Aramberi
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This is the wood burning boiler, our hot water heater, in Aramberi.
Actually this set-up is fairly common for this area.

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Our hosts in Aramberi. The good doctor and his wife, Maria Luisa.
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Hey Meeltone,
I remember when I accompanied you on the route scouting ride around El Viejo and we went through Aramberri on the way there. Remember the lightning storm? About 11:00 P.M. when we make it back to Galeana. It was a good day.
 
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